Breaking Point

Ravenna's POV

I could still clearly remember the day Lycon asked me to be his chosen mate.

He had come to my house that day.

Back then, I was still the beloved daughter of Alpha Andrew and Luna Celery.

I grew up with Lycon since our packs were allies.

He always doted on me and looked out for me.

The moment I heard he had arrived, I ran downstairs immediately.

But the second I saw him, I only smiled nervously.

I had always been bad at communication.

I was the type of person who preferred keeping to herself.

But Lycon never seemed to mind.

He pulled me into his arms and gently ruffled my hair.

"How are you, Venna?"

My cheeks instantly heated up.

It was the first time we had ever been physically close like that.

"I want to tell you something," he said softly.

I wanted to look up and meet his eyes, but I was far too shy.

Knowing I probably wouldn’t say anything, he simply continued.

"I want you to be my chosen mate."

Butterflies erupted wildly inside my stomach.

My face lit up with happiness.

But my joy was short-lived.

I lowered my head and asked in a trembling voice,

"What if you find your fated mate later?"

"I’ll simply tell her that I already have someone I love," he answered without hesitation.

A smile appeared on my face, but I still hesitated slightly.

Seeing my hesitation, he quickly added,

"Don’t reject me. I know you love me too."

I blushed even harder because he was right.

I had secretly liked him since we were children.

So eventually, I nodded.

Lycon looked unbelievably happy.

He hugged me tighter and even kissed my forehead.

"You are the only one who will ever be my Luna."

Back then, those words melted my heart completely.

It had been one of the happiest days of my life.

---

I was pulled out of my memories by loud cheers and applause coming from outside.

And it happened just in time for me to see Lycon kissing Nyran.

They kissed for a long moment while the people around them cheered excitedly.

Eventually, he pulled away, and Nyran shyly buried her face inside his jacket.

"You guys made my baby shy," Lycon joked playfully.

My baby?

He was already calling her something so intimate.

I used to think "Venna" was the sweetest nickname he could ever come up with.

But apparently, I had been wrong.

The two of them stood there looking like the perfect couple.

Meanwhile, Athlea’s grip on my hair tightened painfully.

I felt strangely empty inside.

Nyran was out there enjoying the spotlight while I was suffering for her sins.

Inside my head, I could feel Xevira losing control.

I knew if she took over, she would create chaos.

So instead, I forcefully pulled my hair free from Athlea’s grasp and ran.

"Stop right there, murderer!" Athlea screamed after me.

But I didn’t stop.

I just kept running.

Running away had become the only thing I truly knew how to do.

Eventually, I reached the school gates.

My pace slowed until I was barely walking.

My legs trembled weakly beneath me.

I could feel Xevira raging inside my head, but I no longer cared.

I felt broken beyond repair.

I didn’t even know where I was going anymore.

I just kept walking aimlessly.

Soon, I found myself standing beside a river.

A dangerous thought suddenly crossed my mind.

What if I just jumped into the river and drowned?

Everything would finally end.

The humiliation.

The pain.

I wouldn’t have to watch Lycon make Nyran his Luna.

I wouldn’t have to feel like an outcast anymore.

Before I could even take a step closer to the river, Xevira exploded angrily inside my head.

"Get those fucking thoughts out of your head! You shouldn’t be the one dying. They should!"

My body froze.

Then suddenly, my knees gave out beneath me.

I collapsed onto the ground, trembling violently as I cried.

"Why?" I sobbed brokenly.

"Why are they all treating me like this?"

Tears blurred my vision.

"Is it because I’m not enough?"

"You are more than enough," Xevira said firmly. "None of this is your fault."

I cried until my sobs turned into hiccups.

At some point, the tears finally stopped coming.

I couldn’t even count how many times I had broken down since yesterday.

And somehow, I knew there were still more tears waiting for me in the future.

My eighteenth birthday was something I had always dreamed about.

I used to imagine how beautiful it would be.

But instead, it became the beginning of every misfortune in my life.

I regretted turning eighteen.

I regretted ever existing.

I was sure Xevira probably regretted becoming my wolf too.

"I don’t," Xevira replied sternly.

Slowly, I stood up and began walking home again.

My legs still trembled beneath me.

I felt like a walking corpse.

---

When I arrived home, the servants stared at me strangely.

Even the guards looked stunned by my appearance.

But I ignored them all.

I headed straight toward my room, my footsteps soft against the floor.

As I passed the meeting room, I suddenly heard Luna Celery’s voice.

"That should be enough to completely break her. Nyran said she looked devastated when she left school."

I immediately realized they were talking about me.

Then Alpha Andrew spoke.

"Once she finally dies from the shame, we can inherit everything her real parents left behind."

A cruel laugh escaped his mouth, and Luna Celery joined him.

"If not for the property deeds we found beside her when she was a pup, would we have even bothered bringing her home?" she said mockingly.

Surprisingly, I felt nothing while listening to them.

No shock.

No tears.

Nothing at all.

I simply continued walking toward my room.

Honestly, I thought I would break down the moment I entered.

Even Xevira seemed to think the same.

But instead, I calmly walked toward the water jug sitting on the table.

I poured myself a glass of water.

Then slowly drank from it.

Quietly, I thought about everything.

They used to care for me a lot, but they never once allowed me to call them Mom or Dad.

Their behavior completely changed after Nyran returned.

At first, I thought they were simply overwhelmed to have their real daughter back.

But now everything finally made sense.

They had never truly seen me as their daughter.

To them, I had only ever been a tool for wealth.

A dark laugh suddenly escaped my lips.

"Venna..." Xevira whispered quietly.

But I couldn’t stop laughing.

The sound echoed throughout the room, filled with bitterness and madness.

And at that exact moment…

Something inside me disappeared forever.

And something far darker took its place.